Modernity killing my spook mojo

Seems you have some options to change things up--use modern technology in a scary way, or write stories written in the past. Or in a post-tech future. If you haven't, also check out other cultures which have different mythologies and superstitions from the ones we're used to--maybe that will spark some ideas.

You could always throw a major wrench into the tech-reliant realm, say an unexpected, but logically explained EMP that renders all such tech inert for some protracted period of time. Your characters must revert to, or reinvent creative pre-tech methods to further the plot line... A host of possibilities may present themselves.

Medical suspense is always a viable option - there is still a gigantic amount we do not know about the human body and illnesses and how to deal with viruses. That, for example, leads us to all kinds of potential for horrifying scenarios to create. You see, this is the thing about technology - the more we know, the more we learn about the huge magnitude of what we don't know and most likely never will know in our lifetimes (or our children or grandchildren's lifetimes either)

There is also the option of extra terrestrial races that are more advanced than us, nature spirits, poltergeists, vampires and others that have figured out to circumvent our visual technology. And of course, there is still the option of exploring what happens if the machines we rely on become conscious and want revenge; the Matrix was a notable example but there are plenty more scenarios you can create along those lines. Or what happens if all non human animals get united by a supernatural force and turn against us - even a humans vs insect scenario could be terrifying in that regard.

I dunno, being watched all the time can create great tension for someone trying to avoid being seen ... Either that, or just set the story in an earlier time period.

Wilde_at_heart said:

I dunno, being watched all the time can create great tension for someone trying to avoid being seen ... Either that, or just set the story in an earlier time period.

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Marlys said:

or write stories written in the past. Or in a post-tech future.

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The problem with setting the story in an earlier time is because here the justification is that you cannot figure out how to make the story scary in modern times. Observant readers would recognize this as a sort of cop out and get the idea that you have limited genuine creativity, since someone who is truly exercising their creativity can figure out how to create scares even with all the technology we have.

emax100 said:

The problem with setting the story in an earlier time is because here the justification is that you cannot figure out how to make the story scary in modern times. Observant readers would recognize this as a sort of cop out and get the idea that you have limited genuine creativity, since someone who is truly exercising their creativity can figure out how to create scares even with all the technology we have.

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Except lots of people write horror set in different time periods, or even alternate realities where technology hasn't advanced as far as it is today. I doubt many readers look at such works down their noses and think the authors are writing like that due to a lack of creativity.

ShaunHorton said:

Except lots of people write horror set in different time periods, or even alternate realities where technology hasn't advanced as far as it is today. I doubt many readers look at such works down their noses and think the authors are writing like that due to a lack of creativity.

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True but I don't think those authors are all writing in those time periods because they think that technology makes it impossible to write a scary story. I just think that writing in a different time period and using as your reasoning the idea that you can't think of anything scary enough in modern times shows a sort of defeatist attitude, and I suspect that attitude will show up in other places of the writing as well. Someone who understands stories about ghosts, poltergeists, vampires, nature spirits, werewolves, the undead in general, phantoms, magic and sorcery would be able to see that you can use them in genuinely scary stories no matter how advanced the technology is. And as I said, there's also ideas about medical suspense or Sci Fi horror given the gargantuan amount we still don't know about the human body, diseases, cancers, our planet and other planets, the atmosphere and so on. Setting in another time period because you think there aren't ways to make it scary now seems kinda lame in light of all of that and I don't see how that is a good way to start a story.

emax100 said:

True but I don't think those authors are all writing in those time periods because they think that technology makes it impossible to write a scary story. I just think that writing in a different time period and using as your reasoning the idea that you can't think of anything scary enough in modern times shows a sort of defeatist attitude, and I suspect that attitude will show up in other places of the writing as well. Someone who understands stories about ghosts, poltergeists, vampires, nature spirits, werewolves, the undead in general, phantoms, magic and sorcery would be able to see that you can use them in genuinely scary stories no matter how advanced the technology is. And as I said, there's also ideas about medical suspense or Sci Fi horror given the gargantuan amount we still don't know about the human body, diseases, cancers, our planet and other planets, the atmosphere and so on. Setting in another time period because you think there aren't ways to make it scary now seems kinda lame in light of all of that and I don't see how that is a good way to start a story.

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Considering the OP is filling up a collection, which implies he's already come up with and written at least half a dozen ideas, I don't see anything which suggests his creativity is lacking. Coming up with more than a dozen stories based on a central theme that aren't too similar to each other can be difficult for even a good author.

ShaunHorton said:

Considering the OP is filling up a collection, which implies he's already come up with and written at least half a dozen ideas, I don't see anything which suggests his creativity is lacking. Coming up with more than a dozen stories based on a central theme that aren't too similar to each other can be difficult for even a good author.

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Ok, that is a fair rebuttal. As far as writing in earlier times because you don't think there are enough scary attitudes in the present, I just still think that is a kind of defeatist mentality we should not encourage in creative writing of any kind.

emax100 said:

Ok, that is a fair rebuttal. As far as writing in earlier times because you don't think there are enough scary attitudes in the present, I just still think that is a kind of defeatist mentality we should not encourage in creative writing of any kind.

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At best, I think the OP's statement is closer to being that our instant-gratification society inhibits mystery-based tension. For example, waiting for photographs to develop. Some people suggested reaching back to the past a bit to alleviate the issue the OP was talking about.

I don't believe anyone else has suggested that there aren't enough scares to be found in the present day, and even if they had, I don't believe labeling it a "defeatist mentality" and something that "should not be encouraged in creative writing" is helpful in any way. Creative writing is about being creative, which many times leads the writer to things other people "would not encourage", which is more how things should be.

Hmmm I don’t know about this. I think technology today opens up new possibilities for spooky stories. I’ve read (and seen) stories etc that use technology to create spookiness, and it can work really well.

There was a Buffy episode where they scanned an old book and inadvertently released a demon online. There was a Stephen King story recently about an e-reader that accessed stories from alternate universes. I know it’s been done to death now (even just by the Paranormal Activity people), but I think security footage can work well to generate spookiness – even in written works.

What if that mobile phone app you mentioned showed a person in your historical landscape who wasn’t there in real life? Someone who actually noticed you? They used a mobile phone in a Supernatural episode to see ghosts (since they can supposedly be seen in video if not the naked eye), that was kind of a cool idea. Sorry about all the TV references, it’s late and I can’t think of any written work heh.

I find I tend to set my own stories in an older time (though still fairly recent), or an unspecified time, but I’m not big on tech. Since it doesn’t feature much in my life, it tends not to feature too much in my stories. Maybe a mobile phone or computer here and there if it serves the story.

I guess I can see where you’re coming from, but I don’t really think about that sort of stuff myself. I just sit down and write. I kind of let the story do what it wants to, whether that’s a good or bad thing I don’t know. Whatever works I suppose.

WriterDude said:

My phone is telling me stuff I didn't know I needed to know, but if I wanted to use a smart phone as a plot device, a spooky possession maybe? Its connected to almost every other device on the planet. Any demonic force taking control is still a user, and program logs are kept; its a huge leap of the imagination to believe its been hacked by something paranormal, when there are millions of malware writers junking up the world.

The streets are well lit, homes clean and warm, communication is instantaneous, knowledge at our fingertips and even death has been sanitised. If I report something spooky, the obvious question is did I take a picture? Did I call someone? Did I google the phenomena? Why not? Technology failed? Oh how convenient.

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Regarding the "oh how convenient" bit at the end, I'd say a failure of technology isn't a contrivance, as implied. It happens often enough that I think it's no stretch to, for instance, have a phone or computer issue that initially appears like a common glitch gradually develop into something sinister. For instance, I've taken pictures with my phone and had it freeze up before it could display the photo, and had to restart the phone to make it behave. So there's an example of a delay for a photo to "develop" for you right there. Example 2: For the past two months or so, my Google Maps has been wonky as hell whenever I try to use the navigation. It shows my vehicle moving long after I've come to a stop, it thinks I've made turns I haven't, it thinks I'm facing directions I'm not facing, it thinks I'm on roads that are adjacent to the actual road I'm on, so on and so forth. It's a pretty easy leap from that kind of common glitch to something more sinister.

While tech has altered the way we live, it still gets old. It still malfunctions. It still has limitations. Not everyone has a terrific cellular network (pre-paid carriers with limited range do indeed exist). Not everyone has their cell phone tied to their hip at all times. Not every street is well lit (even in nice neighborhoods). There's still about 20% of the U.S. that doesn't have broadband internet access at home. Not all knowledge is readily at the average web user's fingertips, (ever heard of the Dark Web?).

And keep in mind, the whole "still a user / program logs are kept" sort of thing, while good to be aware of, is a rule of reality that can be violated the same way as every other bit of reality that gets altered in a supernatural story. Whether it's because the supernatural elements at play rearrange reality--temporarily or permanently--or because it merely altered the perception of someone who witnessed the phenomenon, it's still an available story device. A demonic force possessing a phone and making it do bizarre things requires no more of an imaginative leap than does a demonic force possessing a person, making their head spin fully around and scarring their face horribly, then leaving no trace of physical damage when it departs, or an evil force making the dimensions of a house impossibly larger on the inside than on the outside. It requires different levels of "handwaving" when you're getting into the details, but it's all the same when you get right down to it.

I think modernity gives us horror writers a great opportunity to adapt and survive. Look at films like Alien and VHS and Insidious - they each deal with the theme of the unknown in an ever-evolving techno world. Instead of a ghost popping up in your guy's polaroids, maybe they're showing up in the selfies he's taking with his iphone for his girlfriend!

Modernity only betrays the atmosphere if you let it. I think it's easier to write a good scary story around a gravedigger in the 1800's than for a desk jockey in 2014... but if you use your brain power, you can make absolutely anything terrifying.

What about when technology fails?

WriterDude said:

I considered updating a M R James classic, A View From a Hill, but the modern equivalent to magical looking glasses that show the past is really just a phone with an augmented reality app rendering an historical landscape in real time. I could interweave some mystery about where the historical data is streaming from, but it becomes a bit meh.

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Yes, the modern scientific equivalent would be "a phone with an augmented reality app rendering an historical landscape in real time" but the supernatural equivalent would be enchanted binoculars.
It's two different mindsets, and I suspect that readers looking for a ghost story aren't necessarily interested in software. Terry Pratchett, in 'Hogfather' has one of his characters explain what would happen if the Sun doesn't rise again at Midwinter: "Then a ball of flaming gas will illuminate the world". It's all in how you look at it.

WriterDude said:

As an example, Dickens: The Signalman.* Not only would the protagonist incur a £1000 fine for tresspass on the railway, but he simply wouldn't have call to venture down to the track these days.* The days of the lonely signal man, watchfully manning his outpost are, with a few very rare exceptions, consigned to history.* The similiar themed Garside Fell Disaster by LTC Rolt is also very much a story of its time.* That said, I have my own story set in a modern signal box, but I am far from happy with it.

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There are still railway signalmen. Their U.S. union, the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen, apparently has 10,000 members. No doubt the job is different today (I imagine a lot of it is checking automated signals to see that they're working properly) but there still needs to be some means of checking where trains are. I imagine that as long as there's a chance of horrific train disasters, there will be signalmen in some form. The same way there are bridge-tenders, men who work on swinging bridges, making sure that they open and close to allow ships to pass.
As to 'no call to venture down the tracks'? Every year people die walking along the tracks, or falling onto them, or getting caught in their vehicles across the tracks. I imagine the signalman who looks up and sees some sort of a lump on the tracks would be well advised to go have a look. *Not to mention trees, etc.

WriterDude said:

Enjoyed the works of M R James and LTC Rolt last year to have inspired me to write some similar themed pieces. Got half of a half decent collection done. However, I am running out of the unexplainable.

Science and technology is leaving little room for mystery now that every moment is monitored and audited. I even had to justify why a character would have to wait until a photo was developed to build some suspense.

We have a lot to be grateful for in the modern age, but can't help but miss the mystery of not knowing for certain.

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Justify to whom? Why not just have him use the little camera on his phone, but the image keeps blurring out as he watches? People read fictional ghost stories for the strange, not the science.
Also, if setting the story in the near-past doesn't work for you, why not use older characters? Sure, some older people are good with computers, but no-one can really argue that some older person who was never comfortable with tech in their working life might not be totally conversant with it now.